Lamp attachment means



Sept. 13, 1938. a. w. BROGGER LAMP ATTACHMENT MEANS Filed March 3, 1937' lNVENTOR Iga Wjimggar ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to means for mounting electric lamps, and especially those devices which use reflectors or the equivalent. The invention herein described is especially useful in connection with mounting lamps in the head lights of motor vehicles such as automobiles.

For several years after electric lamps began to be used on motor vehicles, the lamps, comprising a bulb and base, were mounted in the reflector through the medium of a tubular socket having a bayonet type of fastening means, that is to say, the socket was provided with bayonet slots therein and the base of the lamp with pins adapted to cooperate with the slots to hold the lamp in the socket. With these devices, it was not easy to get the filament of the lamp in proper focus in the reflector. Furthermore, the adjustments were hard to maintain in a permanent position.

In order to overcome at least some of the difliculties in properly focusing the lamp and reflector, it has more or less recently been proposed to use a pre-focused lamp with a cooperating socket on the reflector. By prefocused lamp is meant that the filament is positioned in a predetermined and positive position with respect to some mounting means provided on the base of the lamp. In one arrangement which has been proposed the back portion of the reflector is provided with an arcuate flat surface and on the back of the reflector is mounted a socket having spring actuated pins which project through holes in the flat portion of the reflector and are locked in position therein by a bayonet type of lock. To cooperate with these pins a flange is provided on the lamp base, this flange being provided with bayonet type slots to cooperate with the heads of the pins so that when the lamp is turned into position, a portion of the flange passes under the head of the pins and thereby holding the lamp in position. It is usual to position the pins and the bayonet slots in the flange on the lamp base in the same asymmetrical relation so that the lamp can only be put into the reflector in one position which is that for giving the best light from the combination. No further adjustment is required and the lamp will stay in proper focal position within the reflector. With the arrangement as thus described, certain difliculties have arisen. The lamp bulbs are made with very thin walls and in giving them the twist or turns sufiicient to cause the flange to pass under the head of the pins, considerable effort is required and many times the bulb is crushed in the hand of the operator and twisted off of the base, which results in cutting of the hands of the operator. In order to hold the flange on the lamp securely in position relatively stiff springs must be used on the pins which cause the difliculty herein before mentioned.

The idea of a pre-focused lamp to operate in connection with a reflector or lens is old and various schemes have been proposed for mounting such a pre-focused lamp in a reflector, one of which schemes has already been referred to. An object of my present invention is to provide an adaptor to operate in cooperation with the construction previously described but in such a Way as to eliminate the difficulties mentioned, and the improvement will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing wherein Figure 1 is a view of a lamp having a prefocusing device on the stem thereof.

Figure 2 is a view of Figure 1 looking from right to left.

Figure 3 is a view of the back central portion of the reflector showing one of the socket mountings now in use.

Figure 4 is a view of the inner part of the reflector ready to receive my improved form of adaptor.

Figure 5 is a view of the adaptor shown in place in a portion of the reflector.

Figure 6 is a transverse view across the adaptor when in place in the reflector on the line 6-6 of Figure 7.

Figure 7 is a part elevational and part sectional view through the adaptor, reflector and socket at one of the pin positions but on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of the inside rear portion of the reflector showing the rear socket ready to be mounted thereon, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the back portion of my adaptor with the lamp in the position to be inserted therein.

Figure 10 is a view of my adaptor removed from the reflector and turned in reverse position from that which it occupies when in the reflector.

In the various views I is the bulb of a lamp having one or more filaments. When two filaments are used one end of each is connected to the terminals 2 and 3 in the steam 4 which acts as the common or ground connection for the two filaments. Mounted on the stem 4 is a ring 5 having a plurality of clips 6, three being shown, which are asymmetrically spaced in accordance with the notches 1 in the adaptor 8. The adaptor 8 is preferably made from a piece of sheet metal and has a plurality of lugs 9 inturned preferably at the edges of the disc 8. The inner portions in of the lugs 9 are bent inwardly toward the axial center of the adaptor as clearly indicated in Figure 4. These inturned portions Ill are provided with seats H to receive the engagement surfaces I2 formed on the end l3 of the pins M which are carried by a socket member l5 and spring pressed forwardly by the spring arms I 6 comprising part of the socket mounted on the rear of the reflector l1. As shown in. Figure 8 the heads l3 of the pin I4 are inserted through the holes IS in the flat portion [9 of the reflector and then turned into the slots 20. That portion of the rear or wire socket which carries the spring arm l5 has indentations 2! to drop into the holes 18 after the rear socket has been turned to locking position as shown in Figure 4. Thus the rear socket is locked securely to the reflector. As will be understood with reference to Figures 4 and 7, the portions id of the lugs 9 are adapted to pass under the heads I3 of the pins so that the seats M will engage the engaging surface l2 on each of the pins, this engaging surface preferably being somewhat conical in shape. The adaptor being made of metal can be twisted with all the force required to lift the pins [4 against the tension of the spring arms l6 so that the portions Ill will pass under the heads l3 of the pins and the adaptor will then be locked in place within the reflector.

After the adaptor has been positioned as indicated, the lamp stem 4 may be inserted within the hole 22 centrally located in the adaptor, it being understood that the clips 6 pas-s through the notches I, it also being understood that the clips and notches being asymmetrical so that the lamp can be placed into the adaptor in only one position and that to give the best illumination from the reflector.

I preferably provide around the edge of the hole 22 a flange 23 or what in effect is flange sections because these flanges are interrupted by the notches 1. These inturned flange sections 23 assist in positioning the lamp and act to hold the lamp on the axial center of the lamp and adaptor. After the clips 6 have been passed through the notches 1 and beyond the edge of the flange sections 23, the lamp is turned so that the clips 6 enter the recesses 24 formed in the flange 23 closely adjacent the notches 1 thereby holding the lamp securely in position within the adaptor.

It will be understood that the socket mounted on the rear of the reflector is provided with spring actuated contact pins 25 and 26 which engage the contacts 2 and 3 on the lamp and the spring pressure acting behind the contact pins 25 and 25. It is then only the spring pressure that must be overcome in inserting the'lamp in the adaptor, whereas with the means now in use first described herein, not only must the springs behind the pins 25 and 26 be overcome but the heavy spring tension applied to the pins M by the spring arms 46.

As will be seen I have provided an adaptor which overcomes the difficulties encountered in the present flange pre-focused lamp mounting.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination of a lamp comprising a bulb having a filament therein and a base carrying a plurality of arcuately spaced clips thereon accurately positioned with respect to said filament, and a reflector having a plurality of yielding mounted pins extending through the reflector from the backside and terminating in heads having conical engagement surfaces within the'reflector, and an adaptor having projecting logs in number corresponding to said pins, each of said lugs having a portion inturned toward the axial center of the adaptor and adapted to engage said pin engagement surfaces when the adaptor is turned, and each of said portions having a seat therein to engage its respective pin on proper rotation of the adaptor, said adaptor having a central hole therein to pass the base of the lamp with arcuately spaced notches to allow said clips to pass and positioning means on the lug side of the adaptor to receive said clips after they are passed through the said notches and the lamp properly turned.

2- In the combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the adaptor has arcuately spaced inturned flanges around the central hole, said flanges having seats. therein acting as said positioning means for said clips.

3. In the combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the said notches around the hole are asymmetrically spaced as Well as said clips whereby the lamp can be placed in the adaptor in only one position.

4. In combination with a lamp comprising a bulb having a filament therein and a base carrying a plurality of arcuately spaced clips thereon accurately positioned with respect to said filament and a reflector having a plurality of yieldingly mounted pins each having a head with an engagement surface thereon positioned substantially in .a plane closely adjacent a back surface of the reflector, an adaptor having lugs in number and spacing equal to the number and spacing of the pins, said lugs having seats therein to receive said pins when the adaptor is placed so the lugs engage said pin engagement surfaces and the adaptor properly turned, said adaptor having a centrally located hole with side notches therein for receiving the lamp stem and clips thereon and means on the adaptor to arcuately locate said clips after they have been passed through said notches and the lamp properly turned as described.

5. In the combination as set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that the adaptor has the lugs extending from its peripheral edge while the 'parts thereof which carry said seats are 10- cated at right angles thereto.

6. In the combination as set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that the adaptor has inwardly extending flange portions with seats therein serving as the clip locating means when the lamp is applied to the adaptor.

In the combination as set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that the lugs extend from the peripheral edge thereof and have parts projecting toward the axis of the adaptor, said projecting parts having the said pin seats formed therein, an interrupted flange being inturned on the adaptor and the said clip locating means being located in said flange.

8. In combination with a lamp comprising a bulb having a filament therein and a stem carrying a plurality of arcuately spaced spaced clips theercn accurately positioned with respect to said filament and a reflector having a plurality of yieldingly mounted pins each having a head with an engagement surface thereon positioned substantially in a plane closely adjacent a back surface of the reflector, an adaptor having inwardly extending lugs with seats for engaging said pin engagement surfaces, said adaptor having a centrally located hole with arcuately spaced notches around the inner boundary of the hole to receive the lamp stem and clips whereby the lamp may be inserted in the adaptor, and means on the adaptor to arcuately locate and hold the lamp securely in the adaptor entirely independently of said pins and without disturbing the connection between them and the adaptor.

IVAR W. BROGGER. 

